Review of Ladyhawke (1985) by Joseph V — 01 Sep 2009

A delightful medieval fantasy from director Richard Donner (Superman, Goonies, Lethal Weapon) and scribe Tom Mankiewicz (Diamonds Are Forever, Superman I & II). Features Rutger Hauer in top form as the hero, a young Michelle Pfeiffer in one of her first really good roles, and Matthew Broderick playing the everyman. Also, keep an eye out for Alfred Molina.

Beautifully shot by a Vittorio Storaro, and edited to perfection by Stuart Baird, "Ladyhawke" is a woefully underrated and relatively unknown entry in the fantasy genre. The DVD features a non-anamorphic transfer, which is downright criminal. Even worse is that one layer is reserved for an atrocious "pan & scan" version, meaning the quality of the widescreen transfer isn't everything it could be. Perhaps someday, maybe for the 25th anniversary next year, we might see a better DVD/Bluray release of "Ladyhawke." This is one movie that's in serious need of a double-dip.

I should probably touch on the score. People dislike it for having the audacity to set a medieval fantasy against a modern (at the time) synth soundscape. Actually, there's a mix of synth and classical scoring. It kind reminds me of Vangelis' work with "Blade Runner." I actually found the music to be strangely suitable to the images onscreen. It reminded me of the soundtracks to numerous Japanese role-playing video games. If there's a soundtrack CD, I'll be hunting it down.

All in all, great entertainment. One of Richard Donner's best.